Nameless
by Enamie
Summary: It hurts being along. Malik knows this for a fact. Without Altair in his life, his world would be dark. When Altair has to leave for a very long mission, he's forced to leave Malik behind. But he doesn't leave him alone...


A soft, light tan head pushed against Malik's hand, making the man lift his fingers and stroke the fur along the ears, earning a purr from the tiny creature.  
"Hello there, kitty..." Malik's lips twitched into a small smile as the cat let out a tiny mewl, paws stretched out lazily in front of her and the purring growing louder with each stroke Malik gave to her fur.

_"You are leaving again?" Malik frowned, eyes locked with another pair of golden.  
"I must, brother. I have been assigned a mission that is far from where we live. I have to leave as soon as possible or I will have the possibility of failing horribly." Altair replied to the shorter man, words gentle and gaze soft.  
"But you have just returned! Surely the Master will take into consideration that you need proper rest?" Malik said, his frown deepening with each word he spoke. He was obviously upset, very upset. Altair had just got back from a long and enduring mission not just a week before and he was already getting sent away? This was too soon. Malik had been completely and utterly alone for the weeks Altair had been gone, the only thing that had been keeping him company was the letters that had been delivered to him that let him know the mission was going well and relieving him from the stress that had settled in to nest upon his body. He didn't want to go through that again. Especially now that the time that Altair would be gone now was extended to months instead of weeks.  
"Malik," Altair set a hand to rest on top of Malik's shoulder. "I know you are afraid of being alone. I too fear that. But I fear much larger for your safet-"  
"My safety?" Malik echoed as soon as the words came out of Altair's mouth. "Altair...it is you going on this mission. Not I. You could...fail and not return. I just sit here and draw maps."  
"You know just as well as I do that you could get assassinated. It has happened before, you know that. I will be just fine. Do not waste your time worrying about my well-being."  
"But Alta-"  
"No." Altair silenced him, putting a finger directly over his lips. "Hush. Do as I say." The Master Assassin's eyes grew stern, but a soft glow blossomed in the depths of his golden gaze.  
Malik would never forget the color of those eyes..._

The sand-colored cat looked over at Malik, her eyes glinting a beautiful golden color. A large pain stabbed into Malik's heart, sorrow just about swallowing him in its greedy mouth as he was reminded of the golden gaze of Altair he had learned to grow so fond of. Sighing, he removed his hands from the cat's head only to feel pinprick claws dig into his skin. He hissed a little in pain and went to draw his hand further back, but the cat clung on, battering her back paws against his fingers. The tiny thing let out a faint growl, gnawing at his wrist playfully. Malik smiled a little, a chuckle bubbling from the back of his throat. Normally, he would of taken his hand away and shooed the cat back onto the floor instead of on his work table, but this particular day he felt like the cat's playfulness was rewarding. Especially since he felt so empty today.  
So alone...

_It was hot. Scorching hot. The desert sun was over-powering the whole city of Jerusalem, driving everyone back into the shade of their homes. Hardly anyone walked the sun-baked ground and those people who did were the beggars that had no home to seek shade in. But one man stood out in the glaring sun. Buried beneath white robes and a flash of red on his clothing was Altair. Ready to leave on his mission out of Israel and into an unknown land where the Templars were planning something big. There was a shuffle of movement beside him and Malik popped up, his face tired and eyes a darker color than usual thanks to the sadness he was bearing because of Altair's departure. He had tried to convince Altair to stay with him, just to remain a bit longer, but the Assassin had turned down the offer. He had to get this done and out of the way with before it was too late.  
"I'm going to miss you, Altair..." Malik's voice didn't rise a notch above a raspy whisper. He wasn't expecting the Master Assassin to hear, but Altair gave a slight tilt of his head to acknowledge he had heard.  
There was a few moments of silence before he actually answered.  
"You said that the last time I left."  
"Yes and it was true. I was overjoyed when you came back safe. But realize this, brother, you were gone for just mere weeks. This time...you could be gone for months. Possibly longer. I will not know if you will be safe." Malik's voice hitched and his eyes lowered to the other rooftop below him.  
"...Malik." Altair said slowly, biting his lip. "It will be no difference. Just a longer time."  
"A longer time of me being alone."  
Another silence drifted between them and Malik was thinking about shuffling back to his Bureau, but a strong pair of arms formed a tight bond around his waist and he was pulled into a crushing hug, Altair's scent engulfing him.  
"I will miss you as well, Malik. But I swear to Allah I will come back to you. There is nothing in this world that is going to prevent me from coming back."  
"But what if-"  
" A "what if" will not happen. I will come back to you, my friend. __You have my word."  
__The pair of arms were gone after that and the scent of Malik's childhood best friend faded into the dry air. And the dreading sense of loneliness and depression nestled deep into Malik's heart once again._

Malik laughed lightly, watching the cat miss his hand and tumble off the working table, landing next to his foot. The little thing's ears pressed against her head and her eyes were wide as she scrambled up, claws scraping the sandy floor. Sitting upright, she lifted her back foot and began to scratch at her velveteen ears, acting as if she never slipped up and fell.  
Malik shook his head, smiling a bit as he turned back to what he was supposed to be working on. Picking up his feather, he dipped the light object into the ink beside it and began to scribble along a piece of paper, drawing, sketching out another part of the map he was working on. But as his eyes traced the line he was drawing, his hand stopped at words that had been written on the paper. Odd, he didn't remember writing anything on this paper besides a few lines and messy sketches. He stopped and set his pen down, reading whatever was written on there.  
_"I will return my dear friend. If you ever are in doubt, just remember to read this. Because this is my promise written down. It is more proof that I will come back. Please, Malik. Have faith in me. For I have faith in you."  
_~_Altair Ibn-La'Ahad.  
_Malik felt a sudden tightness squeeze his throat, as if someone had wrapped their hands around it and started choking him. How come he had never noticed this? It had been there for so long...he had been so distracted.  
"Oh, Altair..." His voice was a shaken sigh. "I wish I could believe you..."

_Malik had slunk back inside his Bureau, running a shaky hand through his messy black hair. Now Altair was gone. He was alone. Truly alone. The Master Assassin had left without the verbal use of goodbye, but left with a moment that Malik would cherish until he returned.  
__Drawing the back of his hand over his eyes to wipe away the tears that betrayed his eyes, Malik crossed the small room and over to his desk which contained the maps and writings he had created throughout the years. The most recent one splayed upon the wood. As he went to enter the other side of the work desk, he nearly tripped and lost balance over a box that he didn't seem to notice.  
__Grunting in curiosity, he bent down and eyed the box for a second, raising an eyebrow when a tiny noise came from inside. It almost sounded...catlike. Even more curious, he lifted the box lid and was greeted by the sight of a gorgeous tan kitten. Most of the fur was a light tan, but it darkened as it ran along the hind legs and to the tip of the tail. Malik blinked in confusion. When did a cat get here?  
The little feline looked up at him and mewed, real small. Big, round golden eyes blinked slowly at him and for a split second, Malik thought he was staring right into Altair's eyes. They reminded him of them so much.  
Around the kitten's neck was a rope, and attached to the rope was a small, rolled-up piece of paper. Malik's hands slipped it out of the rope's hold before his brain could even comprehend that it was a piece of paper.  
__He unrolled it, and let his eyes dance over the lettering, taking in every single word. Which wasn't much.  
_"_Malik," It said.  
"This kitten is homeless and hungry. She needs your help. Please take care of her. It will help with the loneliness that you have let take shelter in you. I know that I am away, and you need company. So I thought perhaps an animal of some sort will help you. I went out on the streets the night before I am leaving and found her for you. She is yours to keep. Cherish her. Like you would cherish me."  
~Altair._

Oh dear Allah...it had been too long. Wherever Altair was...he was probably long gone. Malik had come to realize that when the fourth month since his friend left had passed that Altair was gone. Forever. No news had come to him from that mission. Not one word. That just lead him to believe the mission had failed and that no one was coming back from it. And oh, did it hurt. It hurt so bad. He went to sleep each night only to awaken twisting and crying out Altair's name as a nightmare passed through his mind. He had dealt with nightmares before, after his brother's death and the loss of his arm, bad dreams only seemed to haunt him each night. That was until Altair finally stepped up and started to comfort him. Altair was not known for affection or showing any care in the world. He was straight forward, serious and had a temper. But after he saw what he had caused to Malik and his brother, he let his soft side shine out. Malik liked that a lot more, and he leaned onto Altair for support. That's what brought them closer together after such a long time of Malik hating Altair. But now Malik felt that dread and grief all over again. Felt the heartache and burn as endless tears streamed down his cheeks. He was reliving his past, just this time, there was no Altair to come and soothe him.

_Two months passed, Malik was getting more and more worried about Altair. Where was the Assassin at? Why had he received no word from the mission? Was everything okay? All these worries, all these doubts had swarmed in Malik's head and created a massive black cloud of pain and fear. Scratching the door of his sanity, hissing for it to let itself in. But Malik refused, simply because he was holding onto that string of faith and because of the promise that Altair made him. The gift Altair gave him...  
He looked down at the small cat who was curled in his lap, sleeping without a sound. The creature was so innocent, so pure and dare he add adorable. His fingers mindlessly stroked the soft fur, smiling when she purred in her sleep. He had fallen in love with this cat, the biggest part being because it reminded him of Altair. Reminded of him so, so much.  
It was crazy how much a little animal can remind someone so much of another person.  
Truth to be told, this small animal was about the only thing that kept Malik alive. _

There was a soft 'thud' outside of Malik's main room, but the Dai didn't hear. He had fallen into a light sleep, laying his head on his work desk with the cat curled up right next to his face. Altair's face melted into a gentle gaze as he looked upon his sleeping friend and pet, his heart lifting when he saw that Malik was perfectly safe. He walked up next to the man, about to lay a hand on him to gently rouse him and let him know he had returned, but Malik suddenly stirred, a quiet whimper escaping his throat. Altair frowned a little and rested his hand upon his head, shaking him a bit so push away the nightmare he was having and murmured:  
"Malik, I have returned."  
Immediately, not two seconds after Altair said that, Malik's eyes were opened and the Dai released a small shriek of surprise. Altair barely had the time to react when Malik was suddenly clinging to him, his one arm wrapping around Altair's waist and his face in the crook of his neck.  
"Altair! I thought you were dead!" His voice was as broken as a shattered window, and Altair felt guilt squirm in the depths of his heart. His friend truly had missed him.  
"I told you I would return, Malik. Why did not think I would?" Altair wasn't sure how to return the gesture Malik was giving him. He wasn't used to hugs and he especially wasn't used to Malik showing genuine affection to him. It was strange...not normal. But a very large part of himself loved every bit of it.  
Well, except for the fact that warm tears were streaking down Malik's face.  
"I-I just...you were gone for so long and I did not get any w-word on how the mission was going along. I-I got so scared..." Malik's hand curled into a tight fist in Altair's clothing.  
"Oh, Malik." Altair murmured, finally wrapping his arms around Malik's lean form. "You know very well that I am not an easy target to kill."  
"Yes but...I was just w-worried." Malik released Altair to wipe his hand across his face, making the tears disappear. His face began to flush a bright red when he realized that he had been crying, as if the releasing of an emotion embarrassed him.  
Altair, however, didn't mind the crying. Nor did he release Malik. Instead the white-clad Assassin merely bent his head and pressed a fragile kiss to Malik's head, feeling a quick tense pass through the shorter man before his muscles melted into relaxation.  
"Well, you do not need to worry anymore. I am home now and the Master has promised not to send me out on a long mission for quite a while. Alright?"  
A small nod told Altair that Malik had heard and he tightened his arms around his best friend, blinking in confusion when he felt something press against his leg. Him and Malik both glanced down to see the cat batting at Altair's thick boots, tail lashing.  
Chuckling, Altair wriggled his foot, sending the cat into a frenzy. She dove at the laces, chewing them in her mouth.  
"She seems to like you." Malik smiled a little, watching the little feline.  
"I do believe it is just my boots she likes. Have you found a name for her?"  
"No," Malik frowned. "I never came up with one."  
"Hmm...well, I suppose it is time to name her." Altair's eyes looked away from the cat and down at Malik, a small smile spreading across his pale features. "I believe that you should name her."  
"...uh...alright." Malik bit his lip awkwardly, not a single name coming to his head.  
Silence strung and wrapped around them for a long while before Altair began to laugh a bit, looking at Malik's struggling expression.  
"Can't think of one?"  
"No," Malik laughed a little too. "I can't."  
Meanwhile the nameless cat was prancing around the room, catching dust bunnies that she found in the corners.  
"How about we just call her Nameless?" Altair suggested, passing a hand though his sweat-stiff brown hair.  
"Nameless?"  
"Mhm. It suits her, I think."  
"...yes. I like it. Original." Malik called the cat over by kneeling down and sticking his hand out.  
Nameless came waddling towards him, honey-golden eyes glinting with mischief. Malik grabbed her by the scruff and picked her up, smiling when she reached out two tan paws and batted his nose.  
"Nameless, hm? Do you like that?"  
"Mew."  
"I like it." Altair ruffled the kitten's fur with his four fingered hand. "And I believe she likes it too, yes Nameless?"  
"Mew."

_It wasn't long before Nameless grew quite fond of Altair. Though a bit annoying and rambunctious at times, Altair enjoyed having another living thing inside the _Bureau along with Malik. But the bond between the cat and Malik was stronger, as Altair found Nameless curled up beside Malik every single night. He knew bringing the cat here as a tiny kitten was a good idea, seeing Malik needed something else that loved him. Altair did in fact adore Malik to the extreme, but he would never admit it to Malik's face unless truly necessary. Those emotions and feelings he had for his friend wold forever stay locked up behind a thick barrier. Perhaps one day the barrier would collapse and Altair would vent everything out to Malik. But for now, he kept it hidden away. Only letting the smallest of his affection out through hugs and moments of gentle murmurs. Maybe Malik would tell him how he felt first and then let Altair say what he felt. But that was later. In the distant future. The future does get close,__ however.  
_Closer and closer..._


End file.
